Canadian Clouds: Location, Location, Location

IT World Canada reports that Canada may have significant legal and geographic advantages as a location for cloud based computing services.

Michael Geist, law professor at the University of Ottawa, is quoted in the article as saying: “Location matters and where the cloud exists matters an awful lot when it comes to issues around privacy and compliance related concerns.” He is referring to the Personal Information Protection Electronics Document Act (PIPEDA) which addresses compliance and data concerns that businesses entertain when considering having their information in the cloud, according to Geist.

The artcile indicates that the advantage is not permanent, and the legislation must keep pace to required changes. It quotes Geist as saying: “You are going to increasingly see people engaging in jurisdiction shopping in terms of trying to find places where there are privacy assurances and compliance systems in place.”

A second advantage is the impact of Canada’s geographic location on costs. Sever farms required to maintain cloud technology can be expensive to keep cool. IT World Canada notes that Canada could offset cooling costs by our naturally cool air.